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Upshur County, West Virginia: environmental and disease records

Cancer mortality in Upshur County is 167.8 deaths per 100,000 people per year against a U.S. rate of 143.2, a statistically significant excess. Federal databases place 489 regulated facilities, sites and hazards inside the county, led by NPDES wastewater discharge permit (365), Rail grade crossing (79), Gas station (mapped facility) (13). EPA AirToxScreen estimates a lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics of 20 in a million, driven mainly by formaldehyde.

Rates are age-adjusted per 100,000 people. A cancer signal is marked significant when the lower bound of its 95 percent confidence interval is above the U.S. rate. Facility counts use active federal records located inside the county boundary. Approximate county center: 38.8996, -80.2333.

How this county ranks in West Virginia

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Cancer deaths and new cases versus the United States

Source: NCI and CDC State Cancer Profiles, both sexes, all ages. Sorted by the ratio of the county rate to the U.S. rate.

Cancer rates for Upshur County compared with the United States
Cancer	Measure	County rate	U.S. rate	Times U.S.	95% interval	Years
Lung & bronchus	New cases	75.2	51.8	1.45xSignificant	63.1 to 89.3	2019-2023
Kidney & renal pelvis	New cases	24.8	17.9	1.39x	17 to 35.2	2019-2023
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma	New cases	24	18.5	1.3x	16.9 to 33.3	2019-2023
Liver & bile duct	Deaths	8.4	6.6	1.27x	4.7 to 14.5	2020-2024
Lung & bronchus	Deaths	38.2	30.2	1.26x	29.9 to 48.4	2020-2024
All cancer	Deaths	167.8	143.2	1.17xSignificant	149 to 188.7	2020-2024
All cancer	New cases	509.9	453.4	1.12xSignificant	475.1 to 546.9	2019-2023
Melanoma of the skin	New cases	25.1	23.8	1.05x	17.5 to 35	2019-2023
Leukemia	New cases	15.2	14.5	1.05x	9.7 to 23.1	2019-2023
Pancreas	New cases	13.8	13.9	0.99x	8.7 to 21.1	2019-2023
Pancreas	Deaths	10.9	11.3	0.96x	6.5 to 17.6	2020-2024
Bladder	New cases	15	18.7	0.8x	9.9 to 22.2	2019-2023

Mortality measures versus the U.S. county median

Source: County Health Rankings, built from CDC National Vital Statistics System death records. The comparison value is the median of all U.S. counties.

Mortality measures for Upshur County
Measure	County	U.S. median	Difference	Unit
Premature death	10,984	9,842.6	+12%	years of life lost before age 75 per 100,000
Life expectancy	74.7	75.3	-1%	years
Child mortality	61.6	59.8	+3%	deaths under age 18 per 100,000
Infant mortality	n/a	6.2	n/a	deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births
Injury deaths	95.6	96.9	-1%	deaths per 100,000
Drug overdose deaths	34.9	28.6	+22%	deaths per 100,000

Air toxics and air quality

EPA AirToxScreen 2020

Lifetime cancer risk from outdoor air toxics: 20 in a million. EPA treats 100 in a million as the upper end of acceptable risk and 1 in a million as the goal.

Formaldehyde15.42 per million
Carbon Tetrachloride2.84 per million
Acetaldehyde1.42 per million
Benzene1.33 per million

EPA Air Quality Index

No EPA air quality monitor reports daily AQI for this county.

Regulated facilities, sites and hazards by type

489 active records inside the county from EPA ECHO, TRI, Superfund, Brownfields, NPDES, EIA, FAA, FRA and corrections data.

NPDES wastewater discharge permit365
Rail grade crossing79
Gas station (mapped facility)13
Air permit holder (minor source)7
Brownfield property4
Small hazardous waste generator4
Major air pollution source3
Auto repair or body shop (mapped facility)3
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI)3
Crematorium (mapped facility)2
TRI reporting facility2
Wastewater plant (mapped facility)2
Public airport1
Scrapyard (mapped facility)1

Highest-severity records

The 25 records with the highest Envyrofax severity in the county, with the agency identifier to cite in a records request.

Saint-Gobain/Norton Ind. Ceramics Corp. - Corhart Refractories, Buckhannon
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000344869 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 6.8
World Fuel Services Buckhannon Bulk Plant, Buckhannon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Toluene, Xylene (mixed isomers), Methanol, Ethylbenzene and 4 more. Reports carcinogens. 151 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2620WWRLDF963LD (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 6.2
Saint-Gobain/Norton Ind. Ceramics Corp. - Corhart Refractories, Buckhannon
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000344869 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Buckhannon Sewer Plant, Buckhannon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $3,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000880244 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Upshur Preparation Plant(P-698),Upshur Complex(57-80),Haulroad(H-536&H-613) & Ke, Tallmansville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110064619818 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.8
Central Supply Company Of Wv - Lorentz Plant, Buckhannon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $140,430.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010858303 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Charity Fork Operations, Bridgeport
NPDES wastewater discharge permit. Penalties $25,000.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069585407 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.5
Weyerhaeuser Nr Co - Buckhannon Ewp, Buckhannon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Diisocyanates. 1,767 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 2620WWYRHS41TJM (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 5.5
Saint-Gobain/Norton Ind. Ceramics Corp. - Corhart Refractories, Buckhannon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110000344869 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.3
Weyerhaeuser Company, Buckhannon
TRI reporting facility.
EPA FRS registry ID 110058207658 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 5.2
Corhart Refractories, Buckhannon
Toxic chemical release facility (TRI). Chemicals: Chromium and Chromium Compounds(except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region), Chromium compounds (except for chromite ore mined in the Transvaal Region). 49 lbs released over 5 years.
TRI facility ID 26201CRHRTROUTE (U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory)
Severity 4.3
Coastal Lumber Co - Buckhannon, Buckhannon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110006861618 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Liberty Oilfield Services, Llc., Buckhannon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110007884361 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Village Car Wash, French Creek
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010851881 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Indian Fork Surface Mine, Buckhannon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010859384 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Davidson Lumber Company, Kanawha Head
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010872136 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
West Virginia Split Rail, Inc., Buckhannon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110010874232 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Bucks'S Diner, French Creek
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110012291974 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Saw Mill Complex, Buckhannon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110040608269 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Braden Drilling Llc, Buckhannon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110043528527 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Beans Mill Complex, Tallmansville
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069558543 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Lane Ridge, Buckhannon
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110069605831 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4.3
Dlm Alton, Alton
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110070259156 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Rt 33 Quarry Mine #1, Ellamore
NPDES wastewater discharge permit.
EPA FRS registry ID 110071515300 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 4
Cgst-Cleveland Compressor Station, Kanawha Head
Major air pollution source.
EPA FRS registry ID 110001932703 (U.S. EPA ECHO) Agency record
Severity 3.5

Correctional facilities

Prisons, jails and corrections operations with an EPA facility record, and the drinking water and wastewater compliance attached to them.

No correctional facility with an EPA record is located in this county.

Discovery / public records

Records to request for Upshur County

West Virginia state cancer registry
Cancer incidence counts by census tract or ZIP code, by cancer type and year (de-identified). Any cancer cluster inquiries or investigations in Upshur County, and their findings.
West Virginia vital statistics office
Death certificate counts by cause of death and residence tract or ZIP code, and the years behind the mortality measures above.
West Virginia health department, environmental epidemiology
Health consultations or assessments by ATSDR or the state health department covering the county, and any exposure investigations.
West Virginia environmental agency and the U.S. EPA regional office
Compliance history, inspection reports, notices of violation, penalties and enforcement actions for each facility above, cited by EPA FRS registry ID.
West Virginia drinking water program
Violation notices, sampling results and sanitary surveys for the public water systems serving the county, including any system serving a correctional facility.
Department of corrections or county sheriff
Water testing, grievances and environmental health inspections for the correctional facilities listed above.

Each Envyrofax address report includes a printable records request worksheet with the custodian and the exact request wording per finding.

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